Your Dental Practice and Multi-Channel Marketing

July 1, 2020
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Online Reviews

To bring new patients to your dental practice you have to let them know you’re there. That means using the power of the Internet to spread the word. What’s the best approach? A killer website? Social media? Or is there a new platform emerging?

shutterstock_288951617_edit_01_resizedThe answer is that there are multiple systems at your disposal, and you should be taking advantage of  them all. It’s the best way to reach as many prospective patients as possible.

Casting A Wide Net

Whether they’re looking for a restaurant, a dry cleaner, or a new dentist, virtually everyone turns to the Internet. That isn’t going to change anytime soon. Consumer survey after consumer survey bears this out:

  • 92 percent read review sites when they are looking for services like dental practices
  • 88 percent trust the online reviews they read as much or more as personal recommendations
  • 72 percent say that positive reviews give them more trust in a practice

The beauty of the Internet is that is puts an enormous amount of information at our fingertips. Consider this scenario: someone just moved to town and is looking for a new dentist. They want to find a provider they can take the whole family to. The first step? A Google search that turns up a list of local dentists, each within a few miles of home.

From there, they will probably read some Facebook or Google reviews. There are plenty of them. These reviews, written by their new neighbors who have had experience with these local dentists, will tell them which practices best fit their needs and have good reputations.

These lesson here? Your dental practice must cast the widest net possible, with a presence on online channels like social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), email, YouTube, and pay-per-click ads. It’s the best way to attract new patients.

Sound daunting? Help is available. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

The Power of Testimonials

June 15, 2020
internet dental marketing, Internet Marketing, Online Reviews

Here’s an experiment you might want to try: the next time you have a new patient come in for a checkup, ask what made them schedule the appointment with your practice. It almost certainly was not an arbitrary choice, and probably had something to do with reading your online reviews.

shutterstock_1011918616_edit_01There is no overstating it: online reviews matter. Encouraging your existing patients to share their thoughts about you online should be a big part of your marketing strategy. Study after study bears out how effective online reviews and testimonials are.

A Big Difference

The numbers vary slightly depending on the source, but they all tell the same story: online reviews can make a big difference.

  • 72 percent of patients say positive online reviews and testimonials give them more confidence in a practice
  • 88 percent trust online reviews as much as the recommendations of friends
  • 92 percent of consumers read online reviews and testimonials when looking for goods and services, like dentists

Not only do positive online reviews influence potential new patients, they also influence Google search results. The importance of that, too, cannot be overstated. Google recognizes review sites and gives them great weight. The more positive reviews you have, the higher you will rank.

Encouragement

So how do you get these coveted reviews? Well, it’s a funny thing. Even though most people read online reviews, and value them, most don’t bother to write any themselves. Even the patients who are happy with you are not likely to share their experience online.

shutterstock_100184054_edit_01That means you have to encourage them. Providing great services is an excellent first step.

Beyond that:

  • Always ask how an appointment went. This can invite feedback, and lead a patient to write a review.
  • Ask for a review. The direct approach can work! If it feels funny to ask, send a follow-up text message or email within a day or two of the appointment, inviting the patient’s valued opinion.
  • Make it easy. If you send an email or text, be sure to include a link to your online profile, such as Facebook and Google My Business.

Don’t worry: help is available. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet search marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Market Your Practice Online

June 1, 2020
internet dental marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Uncategorized

Dental practices need a steady flow of new patients in order to remain profitable. With so much competition out there, and so much business now being conducted online, an effective digital marketing is essential.

shutterstock_527776330_edit_01Whether they are looking for a new dentist or scheduling an appointment with their current one, the Internet is the primary tool people use. That simple fact cuts across all demographics: from Generation-X to Baby Boomers, virtually everyone interacts online.

Digital marketing is the way that dental practices an connect with their patients.

New Patients

Google is far and away the most common Internet search engine, processing more than three billion searches every single day. That includes people looking for a dentist near their homes.

Digital marketing practices include:

  • SEO. Search Engine Optimization is a way of driving new traffic to your dental practice website, and converting site visitors into patients. By optimizing your online presence, you get visitors more likely to become your patients.
  • PPC. Pay per Click is another way to bring new visitors to your site. They arrive there by clicking on advertisements that link back to the site.
  • Content Marketing. The content on your website offers value to site visitors. Embedded videos, blogs, and other content has useful information that helps generate interest in your practice.
  • Social Media. Nearly everyone is on Facebook, and other social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Get the attention of patients and potential patients by publishing interesting and useful content on your social media profiles.

These and other digital marketing strategies can increase your website and social media visitors, leading to new patients and increased revenues. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices and the tools of Internet search marketing. We help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Picture This: Your GMB Listing

May 15, 2020
Dental marketing, internet dental marketing, Internet Marketing

shutterstock_284500400Google My Business is an essential marketing tool for any small business, whether it’s a pizza place, a plumber, or a dental practice. It’s a free service that makes it easy to put relevant information in front of local Internet users. For dentists, it’s where future patients are likely to first encounter you and what you have to offer.

With Google My Business (GMB) you’re able to set up a profile with information like the services you provide, how new patients can reach you, and your location and office hours. This data shows up in search results, and it’s very effective: studies show that about fifty-three percent of people who do local searches on Google visit the places they find within a couple of days.

Trust the Pictures

A famous photographer once said he doesn’t trust words, he trusts pictures. Pictures are an important part of your GMB listing, and the higher the quality of your pictures, the more effective they’ll be.

If you or a staff member is a dedicated shutterbug, take advantage of that. Otherwise, consider hiring a professional to shoot well-framed, well-lit, high resolution pictures. The Google algorithm is more likely to prefer and choose these over amateur photographs.

The photos you upload to GMB should include the following:

  • Exterior photos. Exterior shots make it easier for people to find your office. Use several of these, taken from different directions and at different times of day.
  • Interior photos. You see your office every day. Get pictures that show it from a patient’s point of view, with an accent on atmosphere.
  • Team photos. Have plenty of shots of your staff, from those at the front end to the hygienists and dental assistants in examination rooms. A group shot is also recommended. Let everyone’s personality shine through, and remember to say cheese!

As a best practice, your GMB photos should be optimized with keywords in the filename and tagged in  the right category. For example, don’t upload a picture called IMG_001.JPG. Instead, rename it checkup.JPG.

High-quality GMB pictures are important to marketing your practice, but you don’t have to go it alone. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm; we understand how to most effectively use Google My Business. We specialize in dental practices and use the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Can You Remove Bad Online Reviews?

May 1, 2020
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Online Reviews

shutterstock_1639352191Online reviews have never been more important to small businesses. Almost everyone reads them, and almost everyone is influenced by them. Healthcare providers, including dental practices, are among the small businesses for which the most reviews are read.

According to one survey, ninety-two percent of consumers read online reviews before deciding whether to part with their hard-earned money. Probably because they are written by ordinary people, these reviews do more to influence a business’s reputation than anything else. Most people trust them as much, if not more, as the recommendations of family and friends.

In terms of global traffic, Google and Yelp are among the Internet’s top review platforms. More than half of all consumers, in fact, visit a business within forty-eight hours of Googling them.

Bad Reviews

You can’t please everyone, and bad reviews are going to happen now and then. It’s important to always keep that in mind. Remember too that, as we have written elsewhere on this blog, there are actually benefits to an occasional negative review.

One bad review isn’t much to worry about, but they are never to be taken lightly. Most negative reviews are driven by financial or billing issues. Sometimes customer reviews cross a line: they are grossly unfair or even untrue, and written by someone with an axe to grind. To make matters worse, there are companies trying to take advantage of that: they’ll offer to remove bad reviews for a fee – in order, they usually say, to protect your online reputation.

If you are approached by a company promising to remove any bad reviews, take a pass. Such offers are at best unreliable and at worst deceitful. Your online reputation does matter, and promoting and protecting it is a subject in and of itself. But it is virtually impossible, in most cases, for a third party to remove – that is, to permanently delete – a regular bad online review from a legitimate patient.

What You Can Do

The platforms that provide customer reviews want to present information you can trust: opinions that are honest and authentic. Google and Yelp both have strict policies about review content, and will delete any that deviate from them, such as:

  • Abusive reviews
  • Reviews from current or past employees
  • Fake reviews
  • Unsolicited commercial content (spam)

Removing a review can be an uphill battle, but it can be done – especially when the facts are on your side.

ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm; we understand Google and Yelp review policies, and know when it’s worthwhile to fight to remove negative reviews. We specialize in dental practices and use the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Online Video: A Must For Your Practice

April 15, 2020
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Video

Lights, camera, action!

You may not associate those words with your dental practice, but you probably should. Video is becoming more critcial to online marketing every day, and potential new patients visiting your website expect it. If you don’t take advantage of that, you’re going to start looking outdated.

shutterstock_311825123_resizedIf you’re skeptical, consider this: eighty percent of all content consumed on the Internet is in the form of video! That doesn’t mean you have to create a summer blockbuster for your site. It does mean that video is a golden opportunity for your practice to strut its stuff.

For example: you can create a video library on your site with half a dozen or so short videos. Engage site visitors by presenting your office as a friendly, welcoming place. Explain procedures and answer common questions. Make the videos short and easy to understand, and customized to your practice.

The benefits to this include establishing you as an authority, which in turn boosts your online reputation. It also improves your ranking in search engine results. You’ll gain new patients and retain current ones.

This is not an expensive or time-consuming strategy, either. None of it needs to be fancy. You probably already have most of what you need: a smartphone that shoots video, and has simple editing software on it. Enlist someone in your office to shoot and edit the footage. As you all get more comfortrable with making them, improve your videos by watching production tutorials on YouTube.

With a little thought, producing fun and informative videos for your site will engage your patients and yield a positive return. ProspectaMarketing is an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Expanding Your Patient Base

April 1, 2020
Internet Marketing, Local Internet Marketing

Thanks to the Internet, it has never been easier for people to find the goods and services they need. That includes dental practices. In a matter of minutes, anyone can pick up their smartphone, find the dentists near their home, and then check the experiences their friends and neighbors have had with them.

shutterstock_1022954143_resizedThat means it’s more important than ever to be sure that each patient who settles into one of your chairs is satisfied with their experience. While the bottom line will likely be the care you provide, there are other factors in play.

Here are some things you might consider:

Establish A Unique Office

What makes your dental practice unique? Anything from a specialty like dental implants to the most advanced equipment available will set you apart. It tells your patients that you provide outstanding care.

Office culture is important, too. When there’s a happy and  healthy office culture, your patients can pick up on it.

Easy Scheduling

A big part of a positive patient experience is scheduling an appointment. Many practices allow patients to schedule their own appointments online.

This can be an effective way to bring in new patients. If they can find you easily online and schedule an appointment without having to call your office, you’ve just increased your patient base.

Referrals

Patient referrals are one of the most effective forms of promoting your dental practice.  Studies have shown that for most practices, nearly two-thirds of new patients come from referrals. Satisfied patients are usually happy to tell others about a great dentist.

Digital Marketing

This is critical to expanding your practice. Online channels are a powerful  way to reach new patients who otherwise might not know you’re there.

ProspectaMarketing can provide the guidance you need to succeed. We are an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Social Media and Dentistry

March 16, 2020
internet dental marketing, Social Media

Chances are you are using social media in your dental practice, at least to some degree. Are you using it to its fullest potential? Not all dental practices do – and that amounts to wasted opportunity.

shutterstock_1191153421You may think of social media as a harmless diversion; a way to pass the time on interesting but not very important subjects. The reality is that people enjoy seeing off-topic posts from dentists. Social media can help you find new patients, and retain them for years to come.

“Social media” is, of course, an umbrella term that refers to numerous platforms. But surveys show that Facebook is, by far, the dominant force. Most dental practices have a Facebook presence, and some even allow their patients to use it to request an appointment.

One study says that for some practices, Facebook directs as many new patients their way as does conventional word-of-mouth.

Content

And what sort of content is being posted by dental practices? You might think that another article reminding people to have a checkup twice a year would receive a collective yawn. Yet seventy-eight percent of what dental practices are posting, across the board, is dentistry-related.

That said, it is also true that people – that is, your would-be patients – love to see that it’s mostly ordinary people who work in dental offices. The topics that dental practices post about commonly include:

  • Office news and information (56%)
  • Special offers and coupons (42%)
  • Patient photos (38%)
  • Fun, non-dental posts (34%)

As we have stressed elsewhere on this blog, social media has grown tremendously in recent years. But it is still a fairly new tool – especially where dental practices are concerned. It may seem like a brave new world, but ProspectaMarketing can help. We are an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Social Media, Social Practice

March 2, 2020
internet dental marketing, Local Internet Marketing, Social Media

Your patients are already using social media: in today’s world, that is a given. If your dental practice is not leveraging the power of social media to communicate with patients, you are overlooking at powerful tool.

shutterstock_1020407980_resizedAlmost everyone spends at least part of their day on social media. Eighty percent of Americans have at least one social profile, and for most people, especially younger ones, social media is baked into their daily routine. Some people reach for their phones to check their feeds as soon as they wake up every morning. Sound familiar?

Furthermore, social media apps are the most-used applications on mobile devices. Social media has tremendous value to your practice. You can use it to:

  • Let patients book appointments
  • Send out reminders
  • Ask questions
  • Ask for help

And that’s just for starters. Social media is already important for marketing your practice, and its importance is only going to increase in the years ahead.

Your practice should have someone whose job description includes monitoring your social media channels every day, looking for any comments and requests.

Being Social

Remember  to keep  the “social” in social media, too. Your practice should be active on the major sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. You can share dental health tips with users, and be active in online community groups.

Ephemeral content remains popular, too, and will continue to do so. Ephemeral content is content has a now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t quality, like what you see on Snapchat and Instagram. It takes advantage of the way people consume content, and a phenomenon called “FOMO.” That stands for Fear of Missing Out. When new content vanishes quickly, users are likely to check in to the app on a regular basis.

It can be a complex strategy, but ProspectaMarketing can help. We are an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

Map Apps!

February 17, 2020
Uncategorized

Have you asked anyone for directions lately? With a smartphone in almost everyone’s pocket and a map app on every smartphone, asking for directions doesn’t happen much anymore. It’s never been easier to find and reach a destination you’ve never been to.

shutterstock_1245816376Most smartphone users prefer Google Maps over other map applications – in the area of two-thirds of them, by one study. For small businesses like dental practices, this is important. More patients, or would-be patients, use Google Maps to find you.

Google just released an updated version of their map app with a sleek new interface and new features that, among other things, make it easier for users to write reviews. Not to be outdone, Apple has released an improved map app that is also loaded with new features designed to make it competitive with Google Maps.

But Google Maps, according to industry observers, remains the gold standard. Given its prominence, it’s important that your practice is on it. Getting on Gooogle Maps only takes a few steps, and it begins with claiming your practice on Google My Business.

ProspectaMarketing is here to help you get the most out of your Internet presence. We are an experienced Internet marketing firm specializing in dental practices. We use the tools of Internet search marketing to help you reach key prospects who are looking for what your practice has to offer. Our unique and thorough approach provides visibility, financial accountability, and ongoing refinement and improvement. You can find out more by contacting Lane Anderson toll-free at 1-877-322-4440 Ext 101, by email using the form on our Contact Us page, or online at ProspectaMarketing.com.

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